Tolbert knows his role as Tomlinson's leading man

Mike Tolbert's plan is to lead by following. He will clear the way for LaDainian Tomlinson by sticking to his script, obeying his instructions, and leaving the improvisation to the fellow toting the football.

“I'm not going to get cussed out,” the Chargers' rookie fullback said yesterday. “If I do my job and keep the linebackers and safeties off of (LT), he'll have his best year.”

Undrafted, unheralded and widely unknown, Tolbert knows his place and heeds his playbook. He's not ready to start skipping primary blocks, as Lorenzo Neal sometimes did, to target some tackler farther downfield. He's not yet so in sync with Tomlinson that he can confidently ad-lib at the line of scrimmage.

First things first. The fullback's basic job is to execute, not to extemporize, and Mike Tolbert has followed his orders exactingly enough to become the Chargers' first-string fullback. He is doing as he's been told and, perhaps, more than anyone could have asked.

Barely six months since they released Neal, the Chargers have replaced a four-time Pro Bowl player with a first-year free agent from Coastal Carolina, a school whose football team had never faced a big-time opponent until last Saturday's 66-10 thrashing by Penn State.

Mike Tolbert started at Coastal Carolina in the school's second season of varsity football, and he finished so far off the NFL radar that he barely qualifies as a “reach.” Yet he performed so well during training camp – scoring two touchdowns in 12 preseason touches – that the Chargers were emboldened yesterday to cut veteran Andrew Pinnock in order to create a roster spot for an extra tight end, Kris Wilson.

Pinnock was progressing following knee surgery, but he didn't rehab fast enough to obscure Tolbert's talent.

“Old veterans say, 'Hey, don't let a guy take a lot of reps at your spot.' ” Chargers coach Norv Turner said. “All of a sudden you let someone get those reps and the next thing you know, he looks pretty good and the next thing you know, those reps aren't there anymore.”

Tight end Brandon Manumaleuna and rookie running back Jacob Hester will also figure in the fullback picture, but Tolbert's name rests atop the depth chart as the Chargers point toward Sunday's opener against the Carolina Panthers.

He's No. 35 in your program, and No. 1 on the list of surprising Bolts' breakthroughs.

“From three or four days into (camp), you could tell he had an air about him that said, 'This guy gets it,' ” Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers said. “He wasn't overly confident, but he was not shy, either. After the second preseason game, I told him, 'I know your goal is to make this team. It has to be. But get it in the back of your mind that (you) might be on the field opening day.' ”

Agent Joel Turner says he targeted the Chargers with exactly that in mind; that Neal's departure, Pinnock's knee issues and Tomlinson's enduring excellence created not only an opportunity, but a fast track to the Pro Bowl.

“You can be the starting fullback walking in the door,” Turner told his client. “All you've got to do is bust your butt. You don't have to be anybody but you. In their system, with their talent, there's no reason you can't be All-Pro.”

Turner, who was a coach before he became an agent, found an ally in Chargers' scout Darrell Moody, a former colleague at Clemson. When the Chargers spent a third draft choice on Hester, ostensibly a fullback, Moody called to reassure Turner that Tolbert still had a place in the Chargers' plans.

Hester figures to inherit the change-of-pace running back role vacated by Michael Turner. Though Tolbert averaged 6.7 yards per carry as a senior with the Chanticleers, he is plainly ticketed for the less glorious lead-blocking gig.

At 5 feet 9, 243 pounds, Mike Tolbert is certainly built to fullback specifications. What sets him apart from the traditional blueprint is respectable footspeed and surprising ball skills.

Rivers recalls remarking on Tolbert's pass-catching ability during their first day together. Chargers running backs coach Ollie Wilson recalls being temporarily disoriented while watching video of Tolbert's 86-yard touchdown run against VMI.

“He showed a lot of athleticism, a lot of change of direction,” Wilson said. “He's 240-some pounds, but he looked like a tailback runner. I said, 'Wait a minute, this is supposed to be a fullback-type guy?' ”

If the level of Tolbert's college competition made scouts skeptical, the level of his play has necessitated no apologies.

“He came in with the idea that the game wasn't too big for him,” Wilson said. “In his lifetime, people have probably said, 'You can't do this.' It's almost to the point where he's stubborn and says, 'I'm going to prove you wrong.' ”

Until he can provide regular-season proof, Mike Tolbert will have to deal with doubt. Happily, opening holes for LaDainian Tomlinson can be as simple as staying out of his way.

“Obviously, there's concern when there is somebody new lining up in front of me,” Tomlinson said. “But I think he'll be just fine. He's a good football player. He has a great attitude. He should have been drafted.”

Where Mike Tolbert leads, LT will follow. Not a bad way to break into pro football.